Sharp as a needle thanks to acupuncture

If you compiled a list of must-do things in China, what would it include? More interesting than simply visiting the Great Wall and eating Peking duck might be riding the buses and trains instead of cruising from A to B at 12,000 m. Sampling grasshoppers or scorpions at Beijing's Wangfujing night market would also suit the more adventurous.

Experiencing Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) might be less daunting but it's tempting nonetheless. Recent events afforded me the perfect opportunity to tackle the same health issue with both TCM and its Western counterpart.

A trip to New Zealand took a turn for the worse when a bout of long-standing lower-back pain intensified within hours from being a nuisance into something far more debilitating. One night, even getting off the armchair in my countryside cottage took the best part of 15 minutes.

I rather hoped it was a bad dream, or at the very least a temporary lapse, but when I woke up equally immobile the next morning the only thing to do was call for an ambulance. If you're ever carted off in one, be sure to ask for the laughing gas. It's supposed to dull the pain but it also does wonders for your mood.

After several hours in the emergency department I was told I'd be kept overnight for observation. Next day, I was told my blood tests were clear and x-rays had revealed nothing worse than "a common degeneration of the lower spine". In other words, "it is wear and tear old-timer, get over it!" After postponing my imminent return flight to Beijing I consulted the West's answer to back pain, the osteopath. It was a piece of cake until he said: "We'll just try a little manipulation - breathe in, breathe out and relax" and I waited for the click that signaled my body parts were being reassembled. Three treatments later, I returned to Beijing with four high-powered painkillers to help me through the 13-hour flight.